Bulk Bin Sleeve Pack Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bulk bins lack a efficient and secure mechanism for selective erection and collapse, which complicates storage and transportation, especially when not in use.
Innovation Solution
A bulk bin sleeve pack design featuring a base and interlocking wall members with locking tabs and openings that securely attach to form a perimeter wall, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, enabling the bin to be erected for use and collapsed for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If bulk bins are made permanently erected for storing goods, then storage capacity and structural stability are improved, but space efficiency during storage and transportation when not in use deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bulk bin is divided into separate modular components including a base, wall members, and locking mechanisms that can be detached. This segmentation allows the bin to be disassembled into compact sections for efficient storage and transportation while maintaining structural integrity when assembled for use.
Solution Approach 2:
The bulk bin employs dynamic locking and unlocking mechanisms that enable transitions between an erected stable configuration for storage and a collapsed compact configuration for transportation. The locking tabs and openings allow the structure to be securely fixed when needed and easily collapsed when not in use.
2Volume of moving object
If bulk bins are designed to be selectively collapsible for storage, then space efficiency is improved, but assembly complexity and time required for erection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bin is segmented into standardized modular components with consistent locking interfaces. This standardization reduces assembly complexity by allowing repeated use of the same locking tab and opening mechanisms across all wall members and the base, making the assembly process more intuitive and less complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed to be self-aligning where locking tabs automatically engage with locking openings when wall members are positioned on the base. This self-service feature reduces assembly complexity by eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures or additional fastening steps.
3Reliability
If locking mechanisms are added to secure wall members to the base, then connection reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is extracted as a separate, simple feature (locking tabs) that can be independently manufactured and attached to the base and wall members. This extraction allows for reliable locking without requiring complex integrated mechanisms, maintaining simplicity while improving connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking tab acts as an intermediary element that mediates the connection between the wall members and the base. This simple intermediary component provides reliable mechanical interlocking without requiring complex direct attachment mechanisms, thereby improving connection reliability while adding minimal complexity.
4Strength
If wall members overlap the base for attachment, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The overlapping design with locking tabs creates a self-aligning attachment system where the wall members naturally position themselves over the base during assembly. The locking tabs guide the wall members into the correct position and automatically engage with the locking openings, reducing the need for high manufacturing precision while maintaining strong structural attachment.
Data Source
AI summary
A bulk bin sleeve pack is repeatably erected to form a bulk bin having a bottom wall and a perimeter wall and collapsed when not in use. The sleeve pack includes a base that forms the bottom wall of the bulk bin. First and second wall members form the perimeter wall and are attached to one another and the base. The wall members overlap a portion of the base. Locking tabs are associated with at least one of the base and the first and second wall members. Locking openings are associated with the base and/or the first and second wall members. The locking openings oppose the locking tabs when the wall members are attached to the base to form the perimeter wall of the bulk bin. The locking tabs are lockingly inserted into the locking openings to secure the wall members to the base to form the bulk bin.